Shae and I love visiting weird roadside attractions and we’ve already seen loads of them while on our 50 state road trip.
While staying in Tulsa, we made the 20 minute journeyeast so that we could visit the Blue Whale of Catoosa, a legendary landmark along old Route 66.
The whale was built by Hugh S. Davis between 1970-1972 as an anniversary gift for his wife Zelta. That may sound a little unusual, but she collected whale figurines, so this was to be the ultimate whale figurine.
The whale was built on the pond that the Davis family owned. Visitors from near and far loved it, so Hugh opened it up to the public for everyone to enjoy. Back then, the pond was fed by a spring and so it was suitable for swimming.
We visited on a Friday afternoon and there was a steady stream of other visitors coming and going, so it’s still a popular attraction. Swimming is no longer allowed; the pond doesn’t seem to be spring-fed anymore, so you probably wouldn’t want to swim in it anyway.
That means the slides on both sides are now solely for admiring rather than sliding down into the pond which is now home to many turtles.
Even though you can’t go swimming in the pond, you are allowed to explore all over the Blue Whale of Catoosa.
You can walk through its mouth all the way back to its tail. Once you reach the end, you can climb a ladder to go up on to the tip of its tail.
Viewing the whale from the other end helps you realize quite how massive the structure is. The Blue Whale of Catoosa is 20 foot tall and 80 foot long. To build the attraction, Hugh S. Davis used almost 20,000 lbs of rock, 15 tons of sand, 2,650 feet of rods, almost 1,200 of pipes, 126 sacks of dry concrete and more.
After building the whale, Hugh noted that it had taken almost 3,000 hours to apply the cement. That’s because it was mixed by hand and then applied using one 5 gallon bucket at a time.
The tail isn’t the only place you can climb. There’s a second ladder taking you into the whale’s upper belly so that you can get your Jonah on.
There are portholes at the top of its head, so sticking your face through those is another photo opportunity.
Due to its popularity as a tourist attraction, the Blue Whale of Catoosa has picnic tables, restrooms and a gift shop.
The gift shop has postcards, Blue Whale memorabilia and all kinds of Route 66-themed items.
The site was also once home to the Animal Reptile Kingdom (A.R.K.). The A.R.K. is still adjacent to the Blue Whale of Catoosa, although it no longer has any reptiles and has to be admired from a distance.
Final Thoughts
If you’re traveling along old Route 66 or will be spending time in Tulsa, it’s definitely worth taking the time to visit the Blue Whale of Catoosa.
It’s free to visit the whale and it’s admirable how much effort went into the creation of the whale.
If you like roadside attractions like these, check out all the other quirky things we’ve visited so far on our 50 state road trip.
Address
Blue Whale of Catoosa, 2600 Rte 66, Catoosa, OK 74015
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